Will you miss not seeing the Class 1A Division II state high school basketball championships being hosted at Gross Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Fort Hays State University this year? (FHSU and KSHSAA has decided to relocate this year's tournament to Dodge City since the FHSU women have the possibility of hosting an NCAA Division II regional tourney.)

The horn blew at 8:36 this morning, halting play after less than 2 hours into the first round of U.S. Open. It wasn't raining as the players began to leave the course, but soon there were thunderclaps over the Merion Golf Course, and radar showed approaching severe weather that could affect the rest of the day.

Ian Poulter held the lead with three birdies in three holes as fans scurried toward the merchandize tents to wait out the storm. Four players were at 2 under.

The course was already soaked with 6.5 inches of rain during the past week, although sunshine Tuesday and Wednesday helped to dry things out a bit. The skies were already cloudy and a breeze rustled the trees when Cliff Kresge, a Floridian ranked No. 551 in the world, hit the first tee shot of the opening round, the first of 156 players on the historic course hosting the Open for the first time in 32 years.

The marquee group was scheduled to tee off shortly after lunchtime -- weather permitting. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott are together as the top three players in the world rankings.

Even with all the rain softening up the shortest major championship course in nine years, Merion was going to be no easy stroll for the world's top golfers. Mickelson and Stricker saw the notoriously sloping greens live up to their reputation after just a few minutes of play.

Mickelson's early tee time presented a logistical challenge. He arrived at Merion after an overnight flight from San Diego, where he watched his oldest daughter graduate from the eighth grade.

Early on, he played like someone who didn't get much sleep. Starting on the 11th hole -- one of the unorthodox arrangements in the setup at this course -- he opened with a 3-putt for a bogey and put his tee shot in the rough at No. 12. But he saved par at the 12th and birdied the short par-3 13th to pull back to even par.

Sergio Garcia was greeted with mild applause and a few audible boos when he was introduced at the start of his round. Garcia is playing his first tournament in the U.S. since his recent exchanges with Woods, which hit a low point when Garcia said he would serve fried chicken if Woods came over for dinner during the Open. Garcia has since apologized for the remark, and he was noticeably friendly to the gallery during Wednesday's practice round, stopping several times to sign autographs.

The forecast for bad weather led to a USGA news conference Wednesday that covered topics like hail, standing water and the dreaded "potentially damaging winds." At one point during a long and otherwise straight-laced opening statement, USGA vice president Tom O'Toole spoke about the presentation of the championship trophy -- then rolled his eyes skyward and added: "which we hope will be Sunday."